How To Promote Original Music

There are really only two ways of promoting original music depending on what your objectives are. I will deal with the promoting of your music by getting other, more established artists to record, and release your original creations. There are also several avenues in which to accomplish this.

Music is everywhere. You can't go through a day without hearing music. From complete songs, to snippets played behind an advertisement, or in a movie as background music. The basics are the same in each format.

I will assume that you have created, at least in your head, a musical composition with or without lyrics.

1. It all starts with the DEMO. You can't sell an intangible item without being able to represent it in some form. The demo is a recording of the musical composition. It can be anything from a simple acoustic performance recorded on a tape, or even something as small as a snippet to be pitched to studios for background music. Of course, the better the recording, the more serious your efforts are taken (and the more costly your project unless you have a home studio). A sub-quality demo says I am just dabbling at this, and really not trying. A demo doesn't need to include an instrumental break if it is not necessary to the telling of the story through lyrics.

   In short, the better the recording, the better your chances, and focus the recording to accomplish your goal. For example, a song with lyrics should focus on lyrics, not music.

2. Find a publisher, or become a publisher. The business of selling a song is in the publisher's hands. The publisher's job is to pitch, or present, songs to people in need of material for whatever project they are working on, from movie soundtracks, to number one radio hits. Publishers are the bridge to these people. The number of publishers are astounding. You can easily find listings in the music hubs: Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York. My forte is Nashville. You can look in the phone book, on songwriting websites, and many other online forums to find a publisher to contact. You must contact the publisher and request permission to submit material for review. This is not an easy project, and can take years to accomplish. Your work could end here if a publisher picks up your composition.

   The alternative is to become a publisher yourself. This requires filling out forms with your local business agencies, applying for membership with one of the Performance Rights Organizations, and hitting the pavement to find the people looking for material. You can get listings for artists seeking material in industry publications such as Nashville's "Rowfax," or New York's "Variety." While not too expensive, this route is quite time consuming.
3. Make the pitch. Once you have found either a publisher, or become a publisher and found an artist to record your music, you must make the pitch. The pitch is done primarily through phone calls and mailing. For this, you must gather your intestinal fortitude, and make a call to your contact. Cold selling is tough no matter what the field. You need to balance your intense desire to make a sale, with the aloof demeanor of an experienced professional. Not an easy task, but doable. If pitching to a publisher, you need to express your willingness to accept criticism, and make changes if needed. You must make the publisher believe you have the goods.

   The pitch package needs to look professional. Some time and care should be taken here. A quality demo will end up in the trash if the same attention is not given to the presentation. Business cards, reliable contact numbers, and nice packaging are essential. As a publisher, I have received material that was presented in such shoddy fashion that I could not tell what I was supposed to be listening to.

   The rest of the pitch is mostly timing. You need to make sure you submit the material in a timely fashion. The buyers need time to listen, evaluate, and make arrangements for recording if your material is selected. A submission done too late is a waste of everyone's time.

In closing, the job of promoting an original musical creation takes a lot of work. You should decide if you have the time it takes to hit the pavement and find the contacts to make your dream come true, or if you would rather put that aspect into the hands of a publisher. Royalty payments are another matter altogether. There is a weird science to the payout of royalties. Not impossible to understand, but still a chore.

I hope your dreams come true.